On a day when Air India informed the cockpit crew of a watered-down version of the remaining and customs norms ordered by the Delhi High Court in April, which was to come into force in three days, and documents showed that the DGCA had granted exemptions to some airlines, a group of pilots called the move a “violation of the law” and demanded its immediate withdrawal. | Photo credit: The Hindu
On a day when Air India informed the cockpit crew of a watered-down version of the remaining and customs norms ordered by the Delhi High Court in April, which was to come into force in three days, and documents showed that the DGCA had granted exemptions to some airlines, a group of pilots called the move a “violation of the law” and demanded its immediate withdrawal.
In a town hall with pilots on Tuesday (October 28, 2025), Air India outlined a modified duty and rest schedule that deviates from the court-ordered scheme and allows up to three landings for duties starting between 5am and 6am instead of the two allowed by the court. Additionally, if the last flight goes past midnight due to a delay, the court-ordered limit of two landings is also disregarded.
After a long legal battle, the Delhi High Court on April 7, 2025 ordered the phased implementation of the revised duty and rest norms following complaints by pilots of increasing fatigue due to exhausting rosters and increasing night flying.
According to the court’s directions, the first phase of the revised service standards, effective July 1, called for an increase in weekly rest from 36 to 48 hours. In the second phase, due to start on November 1, new night flying limits were to come into effect, expanding the definition of night operations from the earlier midnight to 5am window to the midnight to 6am window. During these hours, total duty time including pre- and post-flight duties was limited to 10 hours, with no more than two landings permitted.
Documents reviewed by The Hindu show that the DGCA has granted the above exemptions to Air India Group airlines.
“The announced grant of extension to the airlines amounts to a deliberate deviation from the timeline upheld before the Hon’ble Court, undermining the sanctity of the judicial process and eroding the confidence of the stakeholders in the regulator’s adherence to the rule of law,” the Indian Pilots Federation wrote in its letter to the DGCA demanding that the exemptions be withdrawn within 48 hours and the court would proceed for contempt of court.
It is reliably learned that even IndiGo is allowed up to three landings for duties reporting between 5am and 6am, along with a relaxation for flights between midnight and 2am, where two landing caps are no longer mandatory. These changes effectively narrow the definition of night service from midnight to 6am
The pilots explain that staying alert during the Window of Circadian Low (WOCL) from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. was challenging because cognitive performance drops to its lowest level due to the body’s natural circadian rhythm.
An airline executive said the release was given due to “operational issues due to an increase in layovers for the crew”, adding that their rest timings had been improved for the next landing despite the reporting time being between 5am and 6am. Air India recently introduced a flexi contract that allows wide-body pilots to take 15 consecutive days off and narrow-body pilots up to 10 consecutive days off as a temporary measure to manage pilot overage.
The DGCA did not respond to queries regarding the exemptions granted to airlines and whether the exemptions were in violation of the Delhi High Court order.
Published – 28 Oct 2025 20:41 IST
